Should we scrap the Carling Cup?

By: Tom Mallows

A perennial question I know, but one that has gathered momentum after the latest round of matches.

The ‘Sky four’ play their reserves, anyone below 8th in the Premier league play the reserves, in fact everyone bar Spurs seems to play a weakened line up.

Crowds are sparse, interest is low and teams seem to stumble by accident more than anything else.

If they suddenly appear at the steps of Wembley then they will gladly snaffle up the prize, but they often have to feign interest (badly in some cases).

Why has it comes to this? Simple answer: money.

The big clubs see it as a distraction because they prefer the cash prizes on offer in the Champions League and the Premier League.
The lower clubs, who feel the spectre of relegation on their shoulder, would rather go out early so they can focus on the bid for survival and guarantee the Premier league TV money.

So if this is a competition that nobody wants we have two options – make it a valid competition again or scrap it.

How do we make it valid? Well one option is to offer a Champions League play off place available for the winners. Controversial I know but it would soon get those senior Arsenal players turning up! Sadly I can’t see it ever going ahead.

Why not offer more prize money? Again hard to raise without sufficient TV and sponsorship interest in the competition.

I guess English football is once again paying the price for having so many professional clubs. When they competed on a (relatively) level playing field all these competitions were sustainable. But as money entered the game it filtered its way to the very top, sat there in great numbers but became limited in its scope. Therefore money has now constricted the market – if it don’t pay then clubs aren’t interested.

I genuinely think the League Cup’s days are numbered, perhaps replaced by an expanded FA Cup. I then predict Leagues One and Two will follow leaving us with a Premier League 1+2 and a expanded Championship underneath. That’s as far as the money will spread.

You heard it here first.